


Free

by sophies_earbuds



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: AU, Fix-It, Flashback, fitz is mad, kotlc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:41:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25573750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophies_earbuds/pseuds/sophies_earbuds
Summary: Taking place after Alvar's sentencing, Fitz makes good on his promise to move out of Everglen.
Kudos: 22





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> basically this is like 400 words of my early morning thought process and a wish that fitz had made the choice to actually move out. its just him talking to himself and mulling over the decision. i might add on more as i go! depending on how much i want to develop this, it could end up being the preface to a new series. so we'll see!

Fitz was alone. 

With the very surprising admission that he would move out if his parents let Alvar live at Everglen, he realized in that moment that he meant it. 

The hurt and angry looks on their faces even fueled his resolve, proving that he’d finally made the right move in the horrible game they’d been playing for the past few years. 

His neck felt almost empty without his home crystal dangling from a chain, but it felt like a hopeful type of empty. The type that was going to be replaced with something newer. 

His mind worked through every mention of his family, every negative thing that had been said about him or his parents. Things he defended, cherished, and held close to his heart. Having a family member on the founding Council. Having an emissary for a dad, working closely with the leaders of their world. 

Without questioning a single thing, he went through his life believing whatever his parents told him. That he was perfect, that he was held to higher standards, that he was _powerful_. He’d been told more than once that he was _too_ perfect. And maybe they were right.

He _was_ too perfect. Not skeptical enough. And he wouldn’t make that mistake again. His instincts were almost always right. About Sophie being alive when she was kidnapped, about her even being the Moonlark in the first place. 

He wasn’t ignoring that gut wrenching feeling that something wasn’t right about this new arrangement with Alvar. Nothing would ever rebuild that bridge between him and his parents after they’d agreed to let Alvar live on the property. 

“I know you’re angry, Fitz,” he mocked his dad’s words out loud. “It’s not a big deal, Fitz.” With every word, his anger bubbled and brewed like the things he used to make in Alchemy. Everything felt _wrong_. His family, his morals, his childhood home. 

Even his name felt wrong on his tongue, like it wasn't his. A name that was shoved into his mouth, like the silver spoon he had recently spit out, and had all of the wrong feelings as he spoke it out loud. 

Fitz. Fitzroy. Fitz Vacker. Fitzroy Avery Vacker. 

What a joke. 

"Son of the king," he muttered, trying his hardest not to make the fist his fingers were so longing to bend into. He could feel the venom of his words, like they were dripping from his teeth with every biting vocalization. 

He was alone. And it wasn't his fault. If his parents thought they could make him live near his brother, one of Sophie's kidnappers, a _murderer_ , then they were sorely mistaken. 

With a scarily small amount of guilt, Fitz admitted that they deserved to feel like they'd failed him. And with that admission came the relief. 

He was free.


	2. Biana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biana, Sophie, and Keefe pack up Fitz's things

Biana knew Fitz had to get out. She could see that staying with their parents was killing him. This was why she snuck into his room to pack his things. 

He didn’t know it was happening, either. But she figured he’d never set foot in their house again, so she made it easy for him. Took a boat load of boxes and started packing up his entire life. She even hailed Sophie and Keefe to help, knowing it would take forever. 

They were packing up sixteen years of memories. Sixteen years of clothing, schoolwork, books; it was a lot harder than she thought it was going to be when she started. But with the help of Sophie and Keefe, it took them a little over a day. 

Fitz would be staying in Havenfield for the time being, after Grady and Edaline had offered the extra room that used to belong to Jolie. Biana thought it would be a little weird for him to stay in a dead girl’s room, but he seemed happy to just have a room at all. When Sophie arrived secretly at the gates of Everglen, she told Biana that Fitz was adjusting well. When she’d woken up, he was already in the kitchen with Edaline, and they were making custard bursts together. 

“Are you sure he’s gonna want  _ all  _ of his old Foxfire stuff? Why would he need every uniform he’s ever worn?” Keefe asked, holding up some pants from Fitz’s Level One uniform that looked like they’d never fit anyone. 

Biana rolled her eyes. “We can put his stuff in storage somewhere. I think there’s a place in Mysterium,” she informed him, snatching the pants and folding them up for him, handing them back to go into the box he was sitting in front of. 

“Isn’t that where your old human stuff is, Foster?” he asked, picking up another pair of pants. 

Sophie, who was packing a giant wall of books into boxes, said, “I’m not sure if that stuff is still there, but yeah.” She studied every book she took off the shelf, as if she was making a checklist in her head. Biana didn’t know a lot about Sophie’s human life, but she heard her make a bunch of references to human things all the time. Maybe she was a big reader during her time with the humans, and was looking for something new to fill her days with. 

“Great, then we can buy a storage space for his stuff until he gets an apartment, and send his clothes and things he needs to Havenfield in the time being. Jolie’s closet was huge, I’m sure there’ll be enough space.” Biana shuffled absentmindedly through the things in Fitz’s closet, starting first with capes that needed to stay hanging, and shoving a protective bag over a cluster of the capes still on their hangers. She zipped it up quickly and crossed the messy room to lay it on the bed, then went back for another cluster of capes. 

Seriously, she never would have guessed that her brother had more clothing than she did. 

“As long as Edaline and Grady are okay with it. But it shouldn’t be a problem. They moved Jolie’s stuff into storage a long time ago,” Sophie mumbled, still going at snail pace with the books. 

“You okay over there?” Keefe asked, snapping to grab her attention. Biana rolled her eyes again. The two of them seemed to have some sort of secret language, and only they knew how to communicate with each other. It seemed fitting that the two most beloved people at Foxfire would somehow find each other, and yet not even notice how the other felt. 

Even with Keefe’s ability, something was still stopping them from taking that next step. And everyone could see it but them.

Sophie slipped about five books into her box at once. “I’m looking at the spines,” she said, pulling a few others off of the shelf. 

Biana and Keefe shared a look. Sophie wasn’t exactly the most elaborative person anyone knew. “Care to tell us why?” Biana asked, zipping up a third bag of capes. 

Sophie blew some dust off of one of the covers. “The ones he reads the most will have the most broken spines. I don’t want to pack up too much if he never reads them.” She filed a few more into the box. 

Sophie was definitely a weirdo sometimes, and not for the reasons most people thought. 

“Alright, well, while she does _ that, _ ” Biana started, pointing another look at Keefe, “we can tackle the stuff in his bathroom.” 

Keefe stood up, leaving the old uniforms scattered on the floor around an empty box. “Yeah, you’re right, that’s definitely a two person job,” he sighed, heading to the bathroom after Biana. 

In front of them was a huge countertop absolutely filled with hair products, most of which Biana was sure Fitz didn’t even use. His hairstyle changed so often that he probably bought them to use once, and never touched again. She was definitely considering stealing some of it for her own collection of stuff she actually  _ did _ use. 

She started on the right side, while Keefe started on the left, so they’d meet in the middle and hopefully cut their time in half. “You know,” she mused, taking all of the open elixirs that were definitely expired and dumping them down the sink drain, “I think this is the first time the three of us have hung out since Sophie and I were in Level Two. And I mean really hang out, not doing any sort of Black Swan work.” She had to cover her nose to dump the next elixir, which let off a foul smell of something rotting. Whether it had come that way, or became that way over time, she didn’t want to know. She just wanted it gone. 

“We used to play base quest almost every day back then,” Keefe laughed, flashing his well practiced smirk. “We should do that again sometime. Definitely at Havenfield, since you guys have all the cool animals,” he called to Sophie, who was still silent, almost definitely still looking at books. “What are you doing in there, snooping through Wonderboy’s underwear drawer?” 

Biana shook her head. Leave it to Keefe to make anything inappropriate. 

“Definitely not!” 

“Whatever you have to tell yourself!”

“Can we not talk about my brother’s underwear drawer?” Biana asked with a gag, half from the conversation and half from the smell of the elixirs. “I’m so not supposed to be the responsible one in this group,” she mumbled to herself. 

Keefe laughed. “Yeah, that’s Miss Bossypants’s job, but she’s too busy reading Fitz’s diary to tell us what to do.” 

Biana’s jaw dropped. “Fitz has a  _ diary? _ ”

“Nope, just trying to freak out Little Miss Foster out there.” Keefe winked, stuffing a few pots of gel into the small box he was in charge of. If Biana wasn’t totally over him, she would have blushed. 

And she was definitely, totally, over him. For sure. 

But that was  _ not  _ what she was supposed to be thinking about. She was supposed to be helping her brother move out of their house. 

If she thought about it too long, she could almost convince herself to beg Fitz not to leave, not to leave her alone with their parents and  _ Alvar. _ She was just as averted to the idea as Fitz was, but she was only fourteen. She didn’t get a say in the matter like he did, even though Fitz was only two years older than her, and obviously wasn’t ready to live on his own. She’d almost asked him to take her with him, to leave their parents behind in their dust, and never deal with their brother again, not on their parents’ or the council’s terms. On  _ their  _ terms. 

They’d always been a team. She knew he was going through a lot, but she wished he’d at least thought about her before making his decision. And maybe he’d realize that after he saw what she’d done for him that day. 

She sucked in a deep breath, clearing her mind. She could deal with her parents in her own way. It wasn’t like she didn’t have an escape route if she needed one. “Sophie, can you start packing up his desk? The books aren’t as important as his school work,” she called, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand. 

Keefe placed a hand on her shoulder, then flinched, and pulled away. “You okay? You’re throwing out some angry vibes, and your fingers are gonna fall off if you keep doing that.” He pointed to her hands, which she didn’t realize she was wringing together.

She breathed again. “I’m fine.” She moved on to one of the drawers in the counter, which held more brushes than one boy could ever need. “It’s just… I’m having a hard time with the Alvar thing, too, you know? But Fitz gets to make this big decision, and I feel… left in the dust with everything he’s running away from. I  _ can’t  _ get away from this.” 

She hadn’t planned on sharing everything, but when she looked up, both Keefe and Sophie were looking at her with puckered brows. 

“Biana, I’m sorry,” Sophie said, coming closer to pull her into a hug. Biana didn’t realize that she really needed one until she already had arms holding her close, and she even shed a few tears when she felt Keefe join in. 

“If you need a place to stay when it gets too tough, I’m sure Ro could threaten my dad into setting up a room for you,” he offered. And while she knew Keefe’s dad wasn’t the most fun person to be around, she almost wanted to take him up on it at that moment. 

“You bet I can!” Ro yelled from outside the room. 

“And same for Havenfield, alright? You’re always welcome to crash in my bed whenever you want,” Sophie added. If Biana ever thought she’d be crying with her friends in the middle of her brother’s bathroom she probably would have laughed, but she didn’t mind the absurdity of it, as long as they were with her. 

“You guys are the sweetest, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said, as clearly as she could with her face smushed against Sophie’s shoulder. 

Keefe pulled away after a moment, and when Biana looked at him, he was definitely misty eyed. “Tell you what. Once we’re done here with all of the boring Fitzster stuff, we’ll go help you pack a go bag. Something you can grab quickly if you need to get out, so you have the important stuff with you.” 

She had to admit, that didn’t sound like a bad idea. 

“I love you guys,” she said, pulling out of her hug with Sophie. She was sure she looked like a mess, and her makeup had probably started coming off, but that didn’t matter. 

She was with her family. 


End file.
